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Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Danny Wood Interview with USA Today

Danny was interviewed by USA Today about raising money for breast cancer research and the upcoming tour:

Attention New Kids on the Block fans: It's time to dust off your favorite NKOTB T's (if you still have them). The chart-topping boy band is gearing up once again for a world tour this summer.

New to the line-up? Well, for one, they've got a couple of new singles out with that other popular boy band -- The Backstreet Boys -- which is coming along for the ride this summer.

But what caught my eye is the band's commitment to raising money to fight breast cancer this time around, thanks to band member Danny Wood's insistence that the band partner with ticketing website Tickets-for-Charity to do it.

As you may recall from a previous Kindness post, Tickets-for-Charity works like any other online ticket seller except that, each time you purchase a ticket, part of the ticket sale goes to the performer's charity of choice (in NKOTB's case, the Susan G. Komen for the Cure) and another part goes to your charity of choice from this list of Tickets-for-Charity's non-profit partners. The company also takes an industry-standard service fee to operate the platform and manage donations. So a win-win for all.

I caught up with Wood last week to learn more about the tour and why this cause is so important to him.

Kindness: Tell us more about the upcoming tour. Did you ever think the NKOTB would be touring again?

Danny Wood: Our upcoming tour will feature NKOTB and Backstreet Boys. We have formed a new super group. I am super excited to be on tour with bsb, because they carried the torch for us after we broke up in 1995. BSB took the boy band concept to new levels and now we get to raise the bar again together.
I never thought that NKOTB would reunite. I was content with being a single dad with 4 kids living in Miami. I am so blessed and lucky to be able to this all again a second time.

Kindness: What can your fans expect from the tour? Is there any new material?

Wood: Fans can expect a high energy show full of hit record. Between the two groups there are many hits. We also have a new single with BSB called "Don't turn out the Lights" NKOTBSB and another new song we did together called "All in my Head" which will be featured on the combines greatest hits album from NKOTBSB coming out May 24th.

Kindness: How did the your partnership with Tickets for Charity come together?Were you surprised to learn that a ticket sales model like this existed?

Wood: Carrie Glasscock from the Komen foundation brought it to my attention. Carrie facilitates all of the charity work I do with Komen. She told me about it, and I insisted we need to work with Tickets for Charity and make all the money raised go to Komen. I was not surprised, but very happy that fans could purchase tickets to our shows and help Komen.

Kindness: For fans that aren't aware of Tickets-for-Charity's model: How does it work?

Wood: Fans can purchase tickets for our upcoming tour through www.ticketsforcharity.com. Tickets are sold at face value plus a fixed donation amount to charity (ranging from $15 - $50 depending on the city and seat location) that automatically benefits Komen for the Cure and its work to help find a cure and save lives.

Kindness: Why did you choose Susan G. Komen as the charity to receive these funds?

Wood: My mother, Betty Wood, passed away from breast cancer 11 years ago. When NKOTB reunited, I knew this was a chance to keep her memory alive and raise money. Komen was a natural partner, being they are the leader in raising money for breast cancer research. I have a website that keeps all the fans connected and fight breast cancer together www.rememberbetty.com

Kindness: Are you and/or the band doing anything else to support this charity (or any other charities) during the tour?

Wood: During the tour I will be raffling off my Harley-Davidson motorcycle. It will travel with us on the road and be displayed in all the arenas. It is currently undergoing a custom paint job with pink ribbons on the bike. All proceed will go to the Komen foundation. All info on the raffle will be up on www.rememberbetty.com soon.

In related charity news, member Donnie Wahlberg made recent waves on Twitter by turning to his 100k+ followers on the social media site to help find a kidney for an ailing fan from Nashville, Tenn.

To keep up with the latest in philanthropy, follow Kindness on Twitter @USATKindness.